Also 5 wrynche, 6–7, dial. 9 wrinch (9 dial. wringe, ringe); 6 wren(t)che, 9 Sc. wrunch, runch. [App. not a continuation of the prec. word, but directly based upon the verb.]
† 1. On wrench, crosswise. Obs. rare–1.
c. 1460[?]. MS. Porkington 10, fol. 58 (Halliwell). The vij. wyffe sat one the bynche, And sche caste her legge one wrynche.
2. An act of wrenching, or the fact of being wrenched; a twisting or pulling aside, awry or out of shape; a violent twist or turn.
1530. Palsgr., 290/2. Wrenche, torche.
1618. Bp. Hall, Contempl., O. T., XII. i. Gods iudgements are the racke of godlesse men: If one straine make them not confesse, let them bee stretched but one wrench higher, and they cannot be silent.
1755. Johnson, Wrench,… a violent pull or twist.
1771. Lonnergan, Fencer’s Guide, 87. A Wrench is thus formed. Ibid., 88. Retire a little upon the second wrench.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xi. The little stone having been raised with one wrench of a spade.
1855. Mrs. Gaskell, North & S., xxii. They all could hear … the creak of wood slowly yielding; the wrench of iron; the mighty fall of the ponderous gates.
1861. Reade, Cloister & H., lii. [She] gave a contemptuous wrench of her shoulder.
1893. Max Pemberton, Iron Pirate, iv. [The yacht] jibbed round of a sudden, with an appalling wrench at the horse.
fig. and in fig. context. 1533. More, Apol., xxii. 128. The same reason wold … serue with one lytell wrenche ferther, to take in lyke wyse a waye from euery other man.
1607. Shaks., Timon, II. ii. 218. A Noble Nature May catch a wrench.
1854. B’ness Bunsen, in Hare, Life (1879), II. 167. Quite conscious that it is a strong wrench that drags him out of so large a part of the habits of life.
a. 1865. Mrs. Gaskell, Wives & Daughters (1866), I. 247. Then, with a wrench, changing the subject,… he broke out [etc.].
1878. Browning, La Saisiaz, 51. I shall … bless each kindly wrench that wrung From life’s tree its inmost virtue.
b. A sudden or sharp twist or jerk causing pain or injury to a limb, person, etc.; a sprain, strain. Also in fig. context.
1530. Palsgr., 290/2. Wrenche out of joynt, deboytement, dejoincture.
1545. Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 49. If he haue a wrentche, or haue taken colde in his arme.
1578. H. Wotton, Courtlie Controv., 28. If … a wrenche breake a bone without perishing the fleshe or skinne whiche couereth it.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., II. 69. Every small Wrinch, or stepping awrie, is enough to put an ill-set Bone out of joynt.
1665. Earl Orrery, St. Lett. (1742), 100. I have got such a wrench in my ancle.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. ix. 226. They haled him into the ship, without … any other injury than a wrench in his arm.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., viii. § 1. The contortions and wrenches to which the limbs of animals are continually subject.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xix. 134. They compelled the arms to take a position which, if the footing gave way, would necessitate a wrench.
1879. Meredith, Egoist, iv. She quietly gave a wrench to the neck of the young hope in her breast.
c. An instance of this in horses; also with the, as the specific name of an ailment.
1578. H. Wotton, Courtlie Controv., 301. Claribel supposing it hadde bin some wrench, commaunded his man to bathe the horse leg.
1580. Blundevil, Horsemanship, 59. The Curbe … commeth … by some straine or wrinch wherebie the tender sinewes are grieued.
1627. J. Taylor (Water P.), Navy Land Ships, C 6 b. The shedding of the haire, the Horse-hipped, the Wrench, the Neckecricke.
1639. T. de Gray, Expert Farrier, 306. A horse that hath gotten a wrench in his shoulder.
1695. Lond. Gaz., No. 3105/4. A dark brown gelding,… goes wadling behind, as if he had a Wrench in his Back.
1727. Bailey (vol. II.), Entorses, Wrenches of the Pasterns in Horses.
d. fig. A parting or separation causing painful or violent emotion; pain or anguish resulting from leave-taking.
In frequent use from c. 1875.
1849. Robertson, Serm., Ser. I. xii. (1855), 202. The misery of the wrench from all that is dear and bright.
1874. Green, Short Hist., viii. § 4. It was not without a wrench that they tore themselves from their English homes.
1889. ‘J. S. Winter,’ Mrs. Bob, x. Now that it had come to parting with the last of them [sc. daughters] it was an undeniable wrench.
e. Mathematical Physics. (See first quot.)
1876. Ball, Theory of Screws, 4. We now introduce the word wrench, to denote a force and a couple in a plane perpendicular to the force. Ibid., 5. These wrenches could be replaced by one wrench which is called the resultant wrench.
† 3. A sharp turn, bend or deflection; an abrupt turning movement. Obs. rare.
1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. Rom., Argt. ad fin. The reader wandering vppe and downe, as it wer in wrenches, or … in a mismase diuersly tournyng and wyndyng.
1596. Sir J. Davies, Orchestra, liii. I loue Meanders path,… Such winding sleights, such turnes and tricks he hath, Such Creekes, such wrenches, and such daliaunce.
fig. 1654. I. Ambrose, Ultima, 203. Austin after some turns and wrenches concludeth thus.
b. Coursing. A turning or bringing round of the hare or rabbit at less than a right angle.
1615. Markham, Country Contentm., I. viii. 105. That Dogge which giueth the first turne, if after the turnes be giuen and neither coat, slip, nor wrench extraordinary, then he [etc.].
1686. [see WRENCH v. 2].
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. ix. 189/1. A Wrench, is not a turn, but as it were, a half turn.
1840. Blaine, Encycl. Rural Sports, 598/1. A cote is when … one [dog] outruns the other, and gives the hare a turn or wrench.
1856. ‘Stonehenge,’ Brit. Rural Sports, 212/1. Working Power is evinced by the Wrench and the Turn.
1887. Field, 19 Feb., 235/3. The brindled [greyhound] eventually finishing the course with a couple of wrenches and a kill.
4. Change from the original purport or signification; a strained or wrested meaning; a forced or false interpretation. (Cf. WREST sb. 3.)
1603. J. Davies (Heref.), Microcosmos, Wks. (Grosart), I. 55/2. If there be wrench in this Paralell, It is in that [etc.].
1701. Strype, Life Aylmer, 265. Whence … the Popish Bishops might see their Wrenches and Cavillations … to be maintained thereby.
1864. Lowell, Black Preacher, 11. But since I might chance give his meaning a wrench,… I’ll put what he told me … In a rhymed prose.
5. One or other form of mechanical screw.
1552. Acts Hen. VIII. (ed. Berthelet), 40. The Bier [= buyer] … shall not … straine … the same clothes … by teintour or wrinche [1514 wynche].
1598. Florio, Storta,… a wrench or wrest that ioyners vse.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy., III. 810. Hee was faine to cause them to bee tormented with their thumbes in a wrinch.
1618. Dalton, Country Justice, 34. Any teynters, wrinches or other engines whatsoeuer, wherby any deceipt may be vsed in … the stretching of any wollen Cloth.
[1702. Guide for Constables, 31. Tenters,… headwrinches, or other engines for stretching of cloth.]
1825. Jamieson, Wrunch, a winch or windlass. Lanarks[hire].
† b. fig. A means of compulsion or constraint. Obs. rare.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 90. He … resolued to make this profit of this businesse … as a Wrench and meane for Peace.
c. A tool or implement of various forms, consisting essentially of a metal bar with (freq. adjustable) jaws adapted for catching or gripping a bolt-head, nut, etc., to turn it; a screw-key, screw-wrench, or spanner.
Also bed-, monkey-, pipe-, screw-, tap-, tube-wrench: see those words.
1794. W. Felton, Carriages (1801), I. 78. A spindle that is turned with a wrench upon the outside. Ibid., 223. Tool-budget … [for carrying] the few requisites for the coachman’s use—such as a wrench, a hammer, a chissel.
1834. Marryat, P. Simple, xxi. We worked very hard until the hole was large enough, using the crow-bar … and a little wrench.
1862. Catal. Internal. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 6111. Patent wrench and mallet to save all taps from damage.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 199/2. The wrench or spanner … is used for fastening the headstock or poppet down on the bed.
d. Surg. Applied to various makes of instruments having adjustable jaws, spec. for gripping a deformed foot to be rectified by torsion.
1895. Arnold & Sons’ Catal. Surg. Instrum., 774. Wrenches for bending Thomas’s Splints.
1896. Tubby, Deformities, 416. Some wrenches are formidable and powerful instruments. Ibid., 418. Holding the foot in the bite of the wrench too long.
6. attrib. and Comb., as wrench finisher, forger; wrench hammer, handle.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2822/1. Wrench-hammer, a hammer having a movable member to form a spanner.
1880. Blackmore, Mary Anerley, lv. Mr. Mordacks … holding him, as in a wrench-hammer, all the way, silencing his squeaks, with another turn of screw.
1881. Instr. Census Clerks (1885), 44. Wrench Finisher and Forger.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl. 957/1. Wrench Handle, a double-arm wrench for use with dies for cutting threads, and other purposes.
